Chapter 16
CEREN BROUGHT pills out of her house to the patio where I sprawled in the lawnchair, thrusting the brown bottles at me as if daring me to object. In front of the kids, I had to look like I was in charge. I took the bottles one at a time, carefully so my fingers wouldn’t shake. Ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and hydrocodone.
“Don’t need these yet.” I handed the hydrocodone back. “Hang on to them, though. One day you’ll be really glad.” We’d figure out how to get food, but opiates would be more difficult to acquire. Could you even grow poppies around here? The garden around the patio had flowers, but nothing like poppies. Would we have time and energy for the effort, or seeds? I weighed the other two bottles in my hands, then popped the acetaminophen and dry-swallowed three pills. Wo
